Peerless GT
Power to the pedal as Gary drives his GT for the first time
Oh, what a month. After more than a decade of ownership, lots of disparate strands came together and I have finally given the Peerless its Egyptian driving test. Well not quite because that’s now a more difficult test, but it means I have at last driven the GT seven feet forward and seven feet backwards under its own power. Ten years is a long time but the big push, post-new Year, has truly paid off.
Last month I reported how I was waiting for HJ Chard in Bristol to make my new driveshafts and balance the propshaft. A miscommunication between us meant I was blissfully unaware they were ready. The wait and the cost were worth it. Nigel at Chard’s upped the driveshafts’ spec, making them from continuous and considerably beefier material than the clunky, worn old units made from shortened TR3 items. The universal joints are also stronger and Nigel’s tip is to don’t think of using anything other than the strongest you can find and afford. The cost of rectification due to premature failure is poor economics and he won’t fit inferior UJS as a matter of principle and reputation. I like that philosophy. Although the driveshafts were made from scratch, they were ready before the prop because it needed an adapter made up for the diff end so it could be put on Chard’s balancing machinery, complete with the Layrub type coupling and the diff flange. It was all then balanced, requiring a small weight at each end.
While I waited for the call about the drivetrain components, I got on with creating the removable section for the gearbox panels that box in the handbrake lever and speedo cable angle drive. Space is limited, as the seat makes it a tight fit. Other Peerless owners have made panels from fibreglass and rubber sheet but I wanted to use metal as a way of dealing with the rising heat from the exhaust pipe as it bends over the crossmember beneath the gearbox.
Cardboard to aluminium
I began with a cereal box cardboard template as usual, and gradually honed the shape until I could transfer the design to sheet aluminium. Unlike the single piece template, I decided to make the panel in two halves. This would have the advantage of providing access to the base of the handbrake lever without removing the whole panel. If I fit a centre console or improved heater components, this could be doubly important.
Stage one of the process was create the basic folded shape. The cutout over the bend in the exhaust is visible here so covering that while creating enough clearance to get air to flow past it was the priority. Using another template first, the initial shape was created in aluminium and then hammered out to create the clearances
required around the exhaust bend. This panel was pop riveted to the main section in typical Fifties Peerless style. A quick view from beneath confirmed there was enough clearance. The finished section was covered in the smaller offcuts of Dynamat I’d saved from using it on the bulkhead. From a tinny sounding aluminium sheet to dull thud panel, the difference is considerable.
The rear section over the angle drive was made the same way. All I need do now is find, adapt or make a rubber gaiter for the handbrake lever to operate in and then it can be trimmed with a finishing outer gaiter in leather. The entire gearbox tunnel will be covered in Dynamat, as will the transmission tunnel, rear seat tub and front floorpans.
Ramping up the tension
Collection of the drivetrain items coincided with me making the gearbox panels, so having retrieved them from Bristol they were sprayed silver and left to dry in the cold workshop while I finished the panels. The fitting of the drivetrain began with refitting the prop flange to the pinion shaft and filling the diff with 2.25 pints of EP90 GL4 gear oil. In theory, this should be a clean enough task, but the location of the filler plug on the diff cover puts it close to the dedion tube and boot rear panel so there’s almost a 90-degree bend to contend with. This results in having a small funnel laden with EP oil that moves very slowly at 3°C. Quarter of an hour later after faffing about it was full and I’d only spilt a small bit. The new-found smoothness of the new bearings and full oil capacity made me realise how much rougher it had been prior. The driveshafts were fitted next, without any dramas and they look reassuringly stronger. The propshaft came next and then I had the means of putting power to the rear wheels again. My quiet goal this month was to drive the Peerless off the ramp and relocate it in the workshop free to be driven in and out as necessary. A quick check all round to ensure I hadn’t forgotten anything was followed by dropping the ramp to the ground and the car onto its wheels for the first time since the engine was fitted. The additional weight meant I had to place wooden planks to raise the rear wheels as the car was driven forward and clear of obstacles. But it’s free to roam at last and I’m ecstatic to finally get behind the wheel and press the GO pedal. Soon, it should have seen daylight.